In 1975 I was looking for a career that would fascinate me for the rest of my life. In a way, weaving chose me!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Another One Bites the Dust

Since taking the photo, the tall gold/beige cone has been emptied. The mat warp is about half way woven and there is enough warp left to finish the gold/beige bobbins and hopefully start on the darker beige waiting in the wings. From the size of that cone, it will probably take two more warps to use it up - maybe three!

And this is how the mats look on the loom. The photo shows the plain weave for hem and the start of the place mat itself using the bundled yarns to make a thick weft.

For information on how I do this, check out Handwoven a few years ago. I believe I called the article/project Stash Busting Mats or something similar.

People often tell me how patient I am to weave. Not at all. In fact I am a very impatient person! You don't need patience to do something you enjoy.

Making textiles for other people to use and enjoy delights me in a way that I can't possibly describe. If you feel the same, no need for me to explain. If you don't, you wouldn't understand why I, and others like me, do this. The fact that people are willing to pay a premium for hand made items is a gift. That people buy my textiles means that I can continue making more. My productivity is such that I long ago out stripped being able to just give my stuff away. Not to mention that I also need a source of income - to buy food, keep a roof over my head, pay for a vehicle and gas to drive it. This is how I make my income.

I supplement income from selling my textiles by teaching, either in person or by writing. Our society is changing in ways that may or may not be useful. The big change I see coming is the ability to produce publications like Magic in the Water, A Good Yarn, etc., and be able to sell them. Therefore the switch to considering an ebook of some type.

The poll in January leads me to believe that there might be a market for such a book. The vote was pretty evenly split between projects and how-to information. I think I can see a way to combine both of those but will need some time to mull it over. Since this project is for after the Next Big Project happening in May, there is time to let things simmer on the back burner while I explore options.

I approach writing a book in much the same way I do designing a textile. What is the purpose? How best can I arrive at that purpose? I will spend a lot of time puzzling over what is possible and how best to present the information I would like to convey.

On the other hand, I may abandon the effort entirely because writing a technical book is a heck of a lot of work and I have no idea if there will be sufficient people willing to buy it to make it worth my while or that they will find it useful. It only takes one bad review to put others off from buying a publication. Lots to consider....

If you have suggestions for content, email me laura at laurafry dot com